Texas QB Sam Ehlinger 'acts like a RB,' and his teammates love it

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger (11) tries to outrun the tackle of Kansas State defensive back Denzel Goolsby (20) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger (11) tries to outrun the tackle of Kansas State defensive back Denzel Goolsby (20) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, in Austin,

AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 07: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns runs the ball pursued by Duke Shelley #8 of the Kansas State Wildcats in the fourth quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October

AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 07: Jayd Kirby #46 of the Kansas State Wildcats tackles Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns short of the goal line in the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 07: Jayd Kirby #46 of the Kansas State Wildcats tackles Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns short of the goal line in the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on

AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 07: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns runs with the ball and is tackled by Trey Dishon #99 of the Kansas State Wildcats in the fourth quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 07: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns runs with the ball and is tackled by Trey Dishon #99 of the Kansas State Wildcats in the fourth quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial

Jayd Kirby #46 of the Kansas State Wildcats tackles Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns short of the goal line in the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Austin, Texas. less

Jayd Kirby #46 of the Kansas State Wildcats tackles Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns short of the goal line in the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Austin, ... more

Photo: Tim Warner /Getty Images

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AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 07: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns and Antwuan Davis #7 sing The Eyes of Texas after the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 07: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns and Antwuan Davis #7 sing The Eyes of Texas after the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on

AUSTIN – Try as he might, Sam Ehlinger could not get anyone to buy what he was selling.

Texas' quarterback said he'd "rather not" run over defenders, that it wasn't his job to level would-be tacklers like 250-pound Chris Warren might. But no matter how sincere Ehlinger sounded, those words simply didn't jibe with his on-field actions.

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In UT's occasionally stomach-churning 40-34 double overtime victory over Kansas State, Ehlinger demonstrated a certain magnetic attraction to dudes clad in purple and white. He wanted to lower the boom on some Wildcats, like when he opted to charge shoulder-first into free safety Kendall Adams rather than slide down or skirt around and out of bounds. On UT's second play of double overtime, Ehlinger steamrolled strong safety Denzel Goolsby to cap a 9-yard run that set up Chris Warren's game-winning charge.

"He's fearless and that puts fear into the defense," linebacker Malik Jefferson said. "It's like, 'Oh my god this quarterback is running with his head down.' And he's kind of massive. You come meet Sam, you've got to come hit him for real."

Ehlinger threw for 380 yards and ran for 107, both school records for a true freshman. He led UT on four straight scoring drives starting in the second quarter, flipping a 17-7 deficit into a 24-17 advantage. He constantly eluded pressure, made magic from nothing and, perhaps most importantly, demonstrated the type of short-term memory most great athletes possess.

Colleges

"Tough kid, not just physically but mentally," coach Tom Herman said. "You know, I told the TV, I told the radio, there are a lot of things to the naked eye he made a lot of freshman mistakes out there. He's certainly got a lot of room for improvement, but I think those mistakes he overcomes with tenacity and toughness, and kind of moving on to the next play."

By no means was Ehlinger's evening at Royal-Memorial Stadium perfect. He missed a few open receivers and nearly lost a fumble. Kansas State picked off his very first pass attempt, a severely underthrown home-run shot to Lorenzo Joe.

"I was really, really mad because had I thrown that a little bit further it was a touchdown," Ehlinger said. "So, that's the only thing I was thinking of after. That was a touchdown if I put it out there far enough."

Through it all, Ehlinger remained resolute. His long runs and reckless finishes energized teammates, particularly the reconstructed offensive line deployed by position coach Derek Warehime.

Denzel Okafor and Terrell Cuney made their first career starts at left tackle and center, respectively. True freshman Derek Kerstetter made his second consecutive start at right tackle. Veterans Patrick Vahe and Jake McMillon again anchored the guard positions.

Despite the new-look line, Ehlinger was not sacked once. UT gained 546 total yards on offense, its season high against a Power Five opponent.

"I'm very proud of them," Ehlinger said. "They did a great job being physical upfront. They brought a lot of pressure in the second half and they did a great job of picking it up and we got the ball out to move the offense."

The offense moved better than it has all season against a KSU defense that had limited its past three opponents to 41 total points. Ehlinger's rapport with Reggie Hemphill-Mapps (12 receptions, 121 yards), Collin Johnson (seven receptions, 92 yards) and Jerrod Heard (four receptions, 50 yards, one touchdown) grew stronger as the game wore on. He even managed to impress his own defense.

"He sees somebody in front of him he acts like a running back," Jefferson said. "And that's different. You don't get that from many quarterbacks. A lot of guys slide but he's very physical. He shows he doesn't care (about being hit)."